n TECHNOLOGY
Augmented Reality in Action
Womenswear brand Maggy London digitizes product samples
by FIONA SOLTES
I
n business - as in dresses - sometimes it
takes a while to find just the right fit.
Back in 2009, Jonathan Lefkowitz joined
Maggy London as CIO. He brought a fresh
focus on technology to the then 30-yearold women's dress company, immediately
pursuing initiatives to address inefficiencies,
improve processes and move the company
forward. The launch of a full ecommerce
infrastructure was on that list - as was the
addition of Gwan Yip to the team.
The two became friends in addition to
colleagues, so when Yip left Maggy London
a few years back to co-found Code & Craft
- a New York-based technology company
focused on producing photorealistic content
that can be rendered in virtual reality,
augmented reality and web 3D experiences
- he kept Lefkowitz up to date. Yip was
exploring ways technology being used in the
gaming industry might translate to fashion
and retail.
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"I was constantly grabbing Jon for a
beer, and saying, 'Hey, this is something
I've just figured out,' or 'This is something
I've just discovered,'" says Yip, now Code
& Craft CEO. "Jon gave me feedback
from an actual brand perspective."
A variety of potential applications were
on the table, but it wasn't until Apple
introduced its ARKit framework for
creating augmented reality experiences on
iPhones and iPads that the pieces began
falling into place.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
With Code & Craft's ongoing and fast
iteration of its scanning services, what
previously could have been a substantial
investment became a more palatable
option. And what previously was
considered an idea for a customer-facing
application morphed into something
else altogether: an innovative way for
Maggy London to produce non-physical
samples of its line that still conveyed
fabric, movement, drape, texture and
color. The company offers "on-trend
but not trendy" dresses, including
timeless silhouettes, workwear, daytime
pieces, desk-to-dinner and special
occasion.
"Generally speaking, the needs of
our distribution endpoints for physical
samples have increased over the years,"
says Lefkowitz, now Maggy London's
chief operating officer. Samples might
be needed for road shows, marts,
specialty stores, department stores,
ecommerce and international commerce
- often at the same time.
While it's important, "the need to
duplicate the line has gotten out of
control," he says. It's also inefficient and
environmentally wasteful, as so many
designs won't end up being adopted.
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